TN295 



Mk^k--: 



m 



:'fe 



m.' 



Ill 



wm9' 






';i': '■ 



,'.>'<,■'''. 



■:''('':f|i 



1; liV' ,. 



F i:;!(!'v: iVl'i-l'Ki'i 









|iii|v||;: 


■', ,■>■'-!;-■'■ ,, 


^^Hb'I i ''1)1, illitlf.^y'ii' 'ii''' 


;■;!,; ■;-V,::;-:i, '■■; 




'■;■;';.'" ;i';'; 


^^^^^^^^wii'''tl}['^ '''''''' '' ' 


V;irv' ' !■ 


^^^^^^^^^^H ' 1 1 H r'.' 1 ,' ' ' ' 


tiiriv!--' •;,,:;; 


^gif,;!-'' 


■v^'- ■. ...'!:'■•" 






ill 






i> ^-c oV/MW* >V^ ■^^ .rails* a'? ^^ 












-;S'^\./^^^^fe' "^ /V^"\ ^'^^^''\ /^^'^"\ ^ '^^-^ 



<^' 







< 




'^^/^rrr-^- ^'?-' 












'5> .o"-^ <{.. *° ^-^ .^'B^ -^^ 







.-o, -^ V'^^.^J.:^-* /^Ci^ .0 .. 



^^•i^ 







.<^^ cO""* ^ 















^°-^^^ 























.^ 







,1^ » 











*^ "*. 











.A. 



.-^^^ 



0^^ \''f>.^'A^ V^^\0^ \-.^\'V %-*^:Tf^\G^' 









'^'' 6 <"">* '*<>'. 



<• 

. N 



^^0^ 



4 o^ 









"^^ 






V .^L'A^-^ c> 













.\. rP*..- '^% -^o. 







'bV" 






./X '^ 



5.* 







i-^^vt. « 



V .^^\^;»^^% ./.v¥/;^%. .^^\^^^*^V .^^.^-^'-^^ 








"vo^^^ 



^^-v. 



^\ 



^ 






-^^^^^ 



^^^, 



:* . '^'' ""^ . -.^^.^ ./ '^U. < 

















^ *"^* .<i> 










/.c:^% 



<! 



'bV" 



>0 
3^ 



4 ex 5 






\^ .^^--^^ V 



^^:^^-/ %^^^\^^' %'^^*/ \^?tf:.V %'^^%°'' \' 







'^^''\ ^'' 






/ "^^^ %^^^\^.* , ^^ ^^ 









■'■°"° \ .'^--^^-^ /«-^i-\ .'°':^a.'> y«-^&'\ cov----*^ 







> 





*-,..* i^- \/ .•^', %,♦* .-m-v \/ ■ 




<Pu *"^* <r 




V^' 






.C^ ^/^. o 



A-*''^. 




■o- 



4 o^ 




































■^ # ^i? 








/ 






o5°o 



sO 



.0 



^ov* :^ 






o > 






/J.* ** 



•; .«"=- '.' 



3>^ 
























"V A 




■" * O « O » IJ,^ "^ 















^j^. A 




Bureau of Mines Information Circular/1986 




Availability of Elemental Sulfur 
and Pyrite Concentrate— IVIarket 
Economy Countries 

A Minerals Availability Appraisal 

By D. A. Buckingham 




UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 



Information Circular 9106 

w 

Availability of Elemental Sulfur 
and Pyrite Concentrate— Market 

Economy Countries 

A Minerals Availability Appraisal 

By D. A. Buckingham 




UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 
Donald Paul Hodel, Secretary 

BUREAU OF MINES 
Robert 0. Norton, Director 



As the Nation's principal conservation agency, the Department of the Interior has 
responsibihty for most of our nationally owned public lands and natural resources. This 
includes fostering the wisest use of our land and water resources, protecting our fish and 
wildlife, preserving the environment and cultural values of our national parks and 
historical places, and providing for the enjoyment of life through outdoor recreation. The 
Department assesses our energy and mineral resources and works to assure that their 
development is in the best interests of all our people. The Department also has a major 
responsibility for American Indian reservation communities and for people who live in 
island territories under U.S. administration. 






Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data 



Buckingham, D. A. (David A.) 

Availability of elemental sulfur and pyrite concentrate— market 
economy countries. 

(Information circular ; 9106) 

Bibliography: p. 16 

Supt. of Docs, no.: I 28.27:9106 

1. Sulphur industry. 2. Sulphur mines and mining. 3. Pyrites. I. Title. II. Series: Infor- 
mation circular (United States. Bureau of Mines) ; 9106. 



TN295.U4 



[HD9585.S82] 



622 8(338.27668] 



86-600186 



Ill 



PREFACE 



The Bureau of Mines is assessing the worldwide availability of selected minerals 
of economic significance, most of which are also critical minerals. The Bureau iden- 
tifies, collects, compiles, and evaluates information on producing, developing, and ex- 
plored deposits, and on mineral processing plants worldwide. Objectives are to classify 
both domestic and foreign resources, to identify by cost evaluation those demonstrated 
resources that are reserves, and to prepare analyses of mineral availability. 

This report is one of a continuing series of reports that analyze the availability of 
minerals from domestic and foreign sources. Questions about, or comments on, these 
reports should be addressed to Chief, Division of Minerals Availability, Bvu-eau of Mines, 
2401 E St., NW., Washington, DC 20241. 



CONTENTS 



Page 

Preface iii 

Abstract 1 

Introduction 2 

Commodity overview 3 

Production 4 

Consumption 4 

Commodity prices 4 

Methodology 6 

Cost estimation 7 

Economic analysis 7 

Availability curves 7 

Geology 7 

Native sulfur deposits 8 



Pyrite deposits g 

Sulfur resources 9 

Extraction and processing technology 11 

Capital and operating costs 11 

Capital costs 12 

Operating costs 12 

Elemental sulfur 12 

Pyrite concentrate 12 

Elemental sulfur and pyrite concentrate 13 

Elemental sulfur availability 13 

Pyrite concentrate availability 14 

Conclusion 16 

References I6 



ILLUSTRATIONS 



TABLES 



Page 



1. Estimated distribution of world production of all forms of sulfur by source, 1984 4 

2. Sulfur-H2S04 supply and end-use relationship 5 

3. Minerals Availability program deposit evaluation procedure 6 

4. Location of elemental sulfur and pyrite concentrate operations 8 

5. Mineral resource classification categories 10 

6. Comparison of world sulfur resource estimates 10 

7. Section through a typical Frasch sulfur production well 11 

8. Total availability of elemental sulfur 13 

9. Total annual elemental sulfur availability from producing operations 14 

10. Total annual elemental sulfur availability from temporarily closed operations 14 

11. Total availability of pyrite concentrate 14 

12. Annual availability of total primary and coproduct pyrite concentrate 15 



Page 

1. Evaluated properties, status, mining and beneficiation methods, and sulfur products recovered 3 

2. Estimated 1984 world sulfur production in all forms, by country and source 4 

3. Elemental sulfur market prices, f.o.b. mine or plant 6 

4. Pyrite concentrate and commodity market prices 6 

5. Estimated world sulfur resources, by deposit type 9 

6. Estimated resources of elemental sulfur and pyrite concentrate 10 

7. Estimated average capital cost investments for elemental sulfur and pyrite concentrate operations 12 

8. Summary of estimated operating costs, elemental sulfur operations 12 

9. Summary of estimated operating costs, pyrite concentrate operations 13 

10. Estimated total elemental sulfur availability 13 

11. Estimated total pyrite concentrate availability 14 

12. Comparison of total potential pyrite concentrate availability, by country 15 



VI 





UNIT OF MEASURE ABBREVIATIONS USED IN THIS REPORT 


°c 


degree Celsius 


Mmt/yr 


million metric tons per year 


km 


kilometer 


pet 


percent 


lb 


pound 


tr oz 


troy ounce 


mt 


metric ton 


US$/mt 


U.S. dollar per metric ton 


Mmt 


million metric tons 


yr 


year 



AVAILABILITY OF ELEMENTAL SULFUR AND PYRITE CONCENTRATE- 
MARKET ECONOMY COUNTRIES 
A Minerals Availability Appraisal 

By D. A. Buckingham^ 



ABSTRACT 

Engineering and economic evaluations were performed by the Bureau of Mines on 14 
Frasch sulfur, 1 native sulfur, and 21 metal sulfide operations in 11 market economy 
countries. The evaluation included discounted-cash-flow rate-of-retum economic 
analyses at 15 pet to determine the average total cost of production of these two com- 
modities and the potential availability of elemental sulfur (S) and pyrite concentrate. 

The Bureau evaluated the potential availability of elemental sulfur and pyrite con- 
centrate. Approximately 279 million metric tons (Mmt) of pyrite concentrate at 46 pet S 
is potentially recoverable from 422 Mmt of in situ metal sulfide ore. Nearly 89 pet of the 
total pyrite concentrate is available at an average total cost of production below the 
January 1984 pyrite concentrate market price ($43/mt). About 185 Mmt S is potentially 
recoverable from 253 Mmt of in situ elemental sulfur. About 99 pet of this sulfur is 
available at an average total cost of production below its January 1984 market price 
($131/mt). 



'Geologist, Minerals Availability Field Office, Bureau of Mines, Denver, CO. 



INTRODUCTION 



This Bureau of Mines report evaluates the availability of 
elemental sulfur and pyrite concentrate from market 
economy countries (MEC's). Some coproduct pyrite concen- 
trate is evaluated here because it is recovered, for its sulfur 
content, along with other metal concentrates. Secondary 
sulfur, such as recovered elemental sulfur from the 
desulfurization of sour natural gas, petroleum, and tar 
sands, and byproduct sulfuric acid (H2SO4) from conversion 
of roaster and smelter off gases, is not included. Byproduct 
pyrite concentrates are not included since they are generally 
considered waste and are not recovered for their sulfur con- 
tent. Recovery of secondary sulfur sources is nondiscre- 
tionary and cannot be adjusted to sulfur demand, since pro- 
duction from secondary sources is based on market re- 
quirements for low sulfur or sulfur-free products, or on 
removal of sulfur and its compounds for environmental 
reasons. 

This report is part of a continuing series of reports in 
which the availability of selected mineral resources from 
domestic and foreign sources and factors affecting their 
availability are analyzed. The purpose of the analysis is to 
quantify engineering, economic, and resource parameters 
that would affect this availability. 

Table 1 lists the 21 pyrite concentrate properties and 15 
elemental sulfur properties included in this analysis. Jacobs 
Engineering Group, Inc., obtained information on 21 
foreign properties under Bureau contract J0225020. 
Domestic deposit information was provided by personnel at 
the Bureau's Intermountain Field Operations Center, 
Denver, CO. Elemental sulfur and pyrite resources located 



in the Soviet Union, China, and other centrally planned 
economy countries (CPEC's)^ were not analyzed in this 
study. Production cost estimates could not be supported 
because of the difficulty in collecting quantitative resource 
information. 

This study consoUdates past work and recent information 
from nimierous sources as of January 1984. For each prop- 
erty demonstrated resources and commodity grades were 
defined, capital investments and operating costs for the ap- 
propriate mining and beneficiation methods were 
estimated, transportation costs to the nearest market were 
assessed, and an economic evaluation was performed. The 
analysis was performed in terms of January 1984 U.S. 
dollars. Individual property evalutions were aggregated in- 
to availability curves and tables to show potential elemental 
sulfur and pyrite concentrate availabilities at various 
average total costs of production. 

Selection of properties is limited to known operations that 
have significant demonstrated resources of native sulfur or 
pyrite ore that can be mined using existing technology. The 
objective was to analyze the availability of at least 85 pet of 
known MEC resources from producing, past producing, 
developing, and explored deposits. 



^ CPEC's: Centrally planned economy countries comprise the following: 
Albania, Bulgaria, China, Cuba, Czechoslovakia, the German Democratic 
Republic, Hungary, Kampuchea, the Republic of North Korea, Laos, 
Mongolia, Poland, Romania, the U.S.S.R., and Vietnam. 



TABLE 1.— Evaluated properties, status, mining and benefication methods, and sulfur products recovered 



Property 



Production 
status' 



Mining 
method 



Beneficlation 
method 



Sulfur 
product' 



Map 
reference' 



Cyprus: 
Kambia (Kampia) 

Mathiatis 

Sha (Shia) 

Iraq: Mishraq 



Italy: 

Campiano 

Fenice Capanne 
Niccloleta 

Japan: 

Hanaoka 

Kosaka 

Shakanal 

Toyoha 

Yanahara 

Mexico: 

Coachapa 

Jaltipan 

Texistepec 

Norway: 
Grong Gruber . . . 
Sulitjeima 

Portugal: 

Aljustrei 

Lousai 



Spain: 

Herrerias 

La Zarza-Calanas 
Tharsis 



Sweden: 

Kristlneberg 

Langsele-Udden 

Turkey: 

Asikoy' 

Keciborlu 



United States: 
Louisiana: 
Caillou Island* — 

Caminada 

Garden Island Bay 
Grand Isle 



Texas: 
Boling Dome . . . . 
Comanche Creek 

Culberson 

Fort Stockton' . . . 

Long Point 

Phillips Ranch . . . 



P 

NP 
NP 
P 

P 

NP 

P 

P 

NP 

NP 



Open pit 
..do.... 
..do.... 

Frasch . . 



Room and pillar . 

. . do 

Sublevel stoping 



Flotation 
..do.... 
..do.... 

Filtration 



Sizing . . 
Flotation 
Sizing . . 



Horizontal cut and fill 

..do 

..do 

..do 

Sublevel stoping 



Flotation 
..do.... 
..do.... 
..do.... 
Sizing . . 



Frasch 
..do.. 
..do.. 



None* . . 
Filtration 
. .do . . . . 



Open stoping . . 
Room and pillar 



Flotation 
..do.... 



Horizontal cut and fill 
Opening stoping 



Room and pillar 
Fill stoping .... 
Open pit 



Sizing 
. .do . . 



..do.. 
Sizing 
. .do . . 



Horizontal cut and fill . 
..do 

Open pit-underground . 
Open pit-horizontal cut 
and fill. 



Frasch 
..do .. 
..do.. 
..do.. 



Flotation 
..do.... 



..do 

Flotation and 
direct melting. 



None* 
..do. 
..do . 
..do. 



.do 
.do 
.do 
.do 
.do 
.do , 



..do.... 
..do.... 
..do.... 
..do.... 
..do.... 
Filtration 



Pyr 


17 


Pyr 


18 


Pyr 


19 


S 


14 


Pyr 


20 


Pyr 


22 


Pyr 


21 


Pyr 


33 


Pyr 


34 


Pyr 


35 


Pyr 


36 


Pyr 


32 


S 


13 


S 


11 


S 


12 


Pyr 


31 


Pyr 


30 


Pyr 


26 


Pyr 


27 


Pyr 


25 


Pyr 


23 


Pyr 


24 


Pyr 


29 


Pyr 


28 


Pyr 


16 


S 


15 


S 


7 


S 


8 


S 


10 


S 


9 


8 


5 


S 


4 


S 


2 


S 


3 


S 


6 


S 


1 



' P= Producer; NP = Nonproducer; D = Developing. 

2 Pyr = Pyrlte concentate; S = elemental sulfur. 

' Refers to location on figure 4. 

' No beneficlation is performed. 

' Property Is scheduled to come on stream by mid-1985. 

' Property was closed in May 1984. 

' Property closed permanently owing to depleted resources in May 1985. 



COMMODITY OVERVIEW 



Sulfur differs from most major mineral commodities in 
that it is used as a processing and manufacturing reagent. 
Many agricultural and industrial products (phosphatic fer- 
tilizers, Ti02 pigments) use intermediate sulfur chemicals in 
their manufacturing and processing. Elemental sulfur and 
other sulfur compounds must be converted to these in- 
termediate chemicals (H2SO4 or CS2) prior to use. After the 
use of these intermediate chemicals, most, if not all, of the 
sulfur content is discarded as a waste product and not incor- 
porated into the final product. The consumption of sulfur in 
one form or another has been regarded as an index of a Na- 
tion's industrial development. 



Sulfur occurs in a wide variety of forms, from native 
sulfur to sulfur compounds. Most elemental sulfur is ob- 
tained from native sulfur deposits and the desulfurization of 
sour natural gas, petroleum and tar sands. Sulfur also oc- 
curs in the form of pyrites, in ferrous and nonferrous metal 
sulfide deposits, from which pyrite and metal concentrates 
can be recovered. These concentrates are roasted to pro- 
duce SO2 which is converted to H2SO4 (1, p. 877-898).3 



' Italic numbers in parentheses refer to items in the list of references at the 
end of this report. 



PRODUCTION 

Approximately 65 pet of the world's total sulfur produc- 
tion comes in the form of elemental sulfur from native sulfur 
deposits and the refining of sour natural gas, petroleum, 
and tar sands. The remaining sulfur production comes from 
pyrites, metallurgical operations, and other sources such as 
coal gasification and gypsum. Most of this sulfur is 
recovered as H2SO4. Figure 1 illustrates estimated world 
production distribution of all forms of sulfur by source for 
1984 {2, pp. 831-849). 

No single coimtry is the dominant producer or supplier of 
sulfur and sulfur compounds. Approximately 50 pet of the 
world's total sulfur production comes from countries in 
which the industry is either partially or entirely government 
owned and/or operated. Table 2 lists total estimated 1984 
world sulfur production by country and source. The CPEC's 
produce an estimated 35.6 pet of the world's sulfur; during 
1984 the U.S.S.R. produced 9.3 Mmt; Poland, 5.4 Mmt; and 
China, 2.5 Mmt. The leading MEC producers in 1984 were 
the United States with 10.7 Mmt; Canada, 6.6 Mmt; Japan, 
2.6 Mmt; and Mexico, 1.9 Mmt (i, pp. 877-898; 2, pp. 
831-849). 




FIGURE 1.— Estimated distribution of worid production of 
ail forms of sulfur, by source, 1984. 



TABLE 2.— Estimated 1984 world sulfur production in all forms, by country and source 

(Thousand metric tons of 100 pet S equivalence) 



Country 



Natural gas 

and 
petroleum 



Frasch and 
native 
sulfur 



Pyrite 



Metallurgy 



Other 



Total 



Share of 

total, 

pet 



MEC's: 

Canada 

Japan 

Mexico 

Portugal 

Spain 

United States 

Other MEC's 

CPEC's: 

China 

Poland 

U.S.S.R 

Other CPEC's 

Total 19,848 

Source: Morse (2). 



5,727 





7 


875 





6,609 


12.8 


1,140 





260 


1,172 





2,572 


5.0 


461 


1,364 





100 





1,925 


3.7 








105 





5 


110 


.2 


7 





1,100 


120 


3 


1,230 


2.4 


5,214 


4,193 


W 


962 


283 


10,652 


20.5 


4,661 


710 


2,004 


1,716 


1,041 


10,132 


19.5 





200 


2,100 





350 


2,650 


5.1 


30 


5,000 





300 


20 


5,350 


10.3 


2,600 


2,600 


3,300 


800 


40 


9,340 


18.0 


8 


5 


682 


30 


589 


1,314 


2.5 



14,072 



9,558 



6,075 



2,331 



51,884 



100 



CONSUMPTION 



COMMODITY PRICES 



Sulfur is consumed in a wide variety of forms; the most 
common are elemental sulfur and H2SO4. Figure 2 details 
the sulfur-H2S04 supply and end-use relationship. These 
two materials find a wide variety of uses including 
agricultural products, nonferrous metal and iron and steel 
processing, plastic and synthetic products, paper and pulp 
manufacturing, and pigment production. In 1983, total 
world consvmiption of all forms of sulfur was about 53.5 
Mmt: Production of H2SO4 accounts for nearly 85 pet of the 
consumption of all forms of sulfur. Fertilizer manufacture 
consumes 55 pet of all forms of svilfur, mostly as elemental 
sulfur that is converted to H2SO4. The United States and the 
U.S.S.R. are the world's leading consumers of all forms of 
sulfur, each consuming about 11 Mmt/jT {3, p. 783). 



After 1965, the historically stable elemental sulfur market 
experienced a period of short supply in MEC's, with the 
deficit being made up by heavy withdrawals from producers' 
stocks in the United States. This, coupled with a rapid 
growth in the fertilizer industry, resulted in abnormally 
high prices in 1967 and most of 1968. In late 1968, a serious 
oversupply developed, the effects of which were magnified 
by a retrenchment in the fertilizer sector, the entrance of 
low-priced imports, and a weakening of export prices. The 
subsequent general collapse of the sulfur market continued 
through most of 1973. Prices began to rise again in 1974, 
decreased in 1977, then after a slight increase in 1978, 
became quite volatile, resulting in record high prices by 
1981. 



Frasch sulfur 



Recovered 
elemental sulfur 



Pulp and 
paper products 



Paints and 

allied products, 

industrial organic 

cfiemicalst and other 

chemical products 



Other industrial 
inorganic 
chemicals 



Synthetic rubber, 

cellulosic fibers, 

and other plastic 

materials and 

synthetics 



Agricultural 
chemicals 



Petroleum refining 

and petroleum and 

coal products 



Imported 
elemental sulfur 



Pyrite, H2S, 
SO2 



Reclaimed 
H2SO4 



Byproduct 
H2SO4 



H2SO4 




Pulp mills 



Nitrogenous 
fertilizers 



Other chemical 
products* 




Other inorganic 
chemicals* 

Inorganic pigments 

paints and allied 

products 




Water treating 
compounds 



Undefined 
sources 



















Petroleum 
refining'and other 
petroleum and 
coal products * 






Cellulosic fibers 
including rayon 




















Copper ores 






Pharmaceuticals 


























Uranium and 
vanadium ores 






Soaps and 
detergents* 


























Other ore 






Industrial 
organic 
chemicals" 




Other primary 
metals 


















Other paper 
products 


Other 
agricultural 
chemicals 


Steel pickling" 











Nonferrous 
metals 



Storage 
batteries-acid* 



Unidentified 



Exports 



Sources of spent acid 
for reclaiming 



FIGURE 2.-— Sulfyr-H2S04 supply and end-use relationship. 



The reasons for these price increases were relatively com- 
plex and include (1) a rapid increase in demand by fertilizer 
manufacturers, both domestically and worldwide; (2) the 
high profitability of the fertilizer sector, which allowed high 
sulfur prices to be passed on to consumers; (3) the recogni- 
tion that sulfur production costs, especially those of Frasch 
sulfur, has increased substantially; and (4) logistical prob- 
lems that restricted deliveries. The economic recession that 
began in late 1981 caused a decrease in sulfiu" demand both 
domestically and worldwide through 1982 and into 1983. 

In 1982 and 1983, Saudi Arabia brought large volumes of 
recovered elemental sulfur to the world market, and Iraq, 
despite the ongoing war with neighboring Iran, was able to 
return to the world marketplace. Because of this, sulfur 
prices softened in 1982 and fell fiui;her in 1983 (3, p. 790; 2, 
pp. 831-849). In 1984, elemental sulfur prices began to rise, 
reaching their highest level since 1981, partially because of 
decreased production from Saudi Arabia, owing to damage 
to their Jubial sulfur-prilling facilities, and to decreased oil 
production. Table 3 lists the average reported price for 
elemental sulfur over the last 5 yr. 

Prices for a pyrite concentrate containing 45 to 51 pet S 
have remained stable over the past 10 yr owing to low de- 
mand. However, with the recent increase in demand and ris- 
ing price for elemental sulfiu", more interest has been given 
to pyrite production. Table 4 lists the pyrite concentrate and 
other commodity prices used in the economic analysis. 



TABLE 3.— Elemental sulfur market prices,^ f.o.b. mine or plant 

Year Price,' US$/mt 

1980 $97.36 

1981 121.11 

1982 120.74 

1983 100.76 

1984' 130.90 



' Listed prices are U.S. market prices, f.o.b. plant or Gulf port, 
Louisiana and Texas. 
' Actual year dollars. 
' Elemental sulfur market price used in this analysis. 

Sources: Morse (2, p. 834); Engineering and Mining Journal {4, p. 27). 



TABLE 4.— Pyrite concentrate and commodity market prices' 

Price, January 

Commodity 1984 US$ 

Pyrite concentrate, 51 pet S' per mt. . $42.99 

Copper per lb . . .71 

Gold per tr oz. . 370.89 

Lead per lb. . .25 

Silver pertroz.. 8.18 

Zinc per lb. . .49 

' Based on U.S. market prices. 

' Market price of a pyrite concentrate used In this analysis. 

Source: Engineering and Mining Journal {4, p. 27). 



METHODOLOGY 



The Bureau of Mines (5) has developed a methodology for 
the analysis of long-run mineral resource availability. An in- 
tegral part of this system is the supply analysis model 
(SAM) (6), "developed by personnel of the Bureau's Minerals 
Availability Field Office. This interactive computer system 
is an effective mathematical tool for analyzing the effects of 



various parameters upon the economic availability of 
domestic and foreign resources. The flow of the Bureau's 
Minerals Availability program (MAP) evaluation procedure 
from deposit identification to development of availability in- 
formation is illustrated in figure 3. 



Identification 

and 

selection 

of deposits 



Tonnage 

and grade 

determination 



Engineering 
and cost 
evaluation 



■" Mineral "" 

Industries 

Location 

System 

(MILS) 

data 



MAP 

computer 

data 

base 



Taxes, 

royalties, 

cost indexes, 

prices, etc... 



Deposit 

report 

preparation 



MAP 

permanent 

deposit 

files 



Data 

selection and 

validation 



Variable and 

parameter 

adjustments 



Economic 
analysis 



Sensitivity 
analysis 



Availability 
curves 



Analytical 
reports 




Data 



Availability 
curves 



Analytical 
reports 



FIGURE 3.— Minerals Availability program deposit evaluation procedure. 



Resurce grade and tonnage data included in this report 
are derived from contractor-supplied company data, 
published and unpublished sources, and Bureau and U.S. 
Geological Survey sources and estimates. Tonnage quan- 
tities and grade as of January 1984 are evaluated based on 
these data in relation to physical and technological condi- 
tions that exist at each deposit. Certain assumptions are in- 
herent in this evaluation. First, all operations are assumed 
to produce at full design capacity throughout the productive 
life of the deposit, except when the actual production capaci- 
ty is known. Second, operations are assumed to be able to 
sell all of their elemental sulfur or pyrite concentrate output 
at the determined average total cost of production and ob- 
tain at least the minimum specified discounted-cash-flow 
rate of return (DCFROR) of 15 pet. 



COST ESTIMATION 

Capital investments and operating costs for appropriate 
mining and processing methods are evaluated for each 
operation. Actual costs are used where available. However, 
if actual data are lacking, costs are developed based on data 
from similar existing operations or from the Bureau's cost 
estimating system (CES) manual (7). Where appropriate, 
capital and operating costs have been updated to January 
1984 U.S. dollars according to local currency exchange 
rates and individual country inflation indices, weighted pro- 
portionately by the percentage share of labor, energy, 
equipment, and materials and supplies within each category 
on a countrywide basis. 

Capital expenditures are determined for acquisition, ex- 
ploration, and development; purchase and construction of 
mine and mill equipment and facilities; infrastructure; and 
working capital. Infrastructure includes capital costs for 
development of the operation that cannot be allocated to 
specific elements (mine, mill, smelter), such as access roads, 
utilities, personnel accommodations, and port facilities. The 
working capital is a revolving cash fund calculated on the 
basis of 60 days of operating expenses. Environmental costs 
for items such as water treatment and land reclamation are 
included if known. Initial capital costs are depreciated from 
the actual investment year to January 1984. The 
undepreciated portion is treated as a capital investment in 
January 1984. Reinvestments varied according to capacity, 
production life, and age of facilities. Total operating costs 
include labor, materials, overhead, utilities, and research. 
Transportation costs to market facilities (port terminal, 
sulfuric acid plant, or smelter) are also determined for each 
operation. 



ECONOMIC ANALYSIS 

Data are entered into the Bureau's SAM system, once all 
costs and engineering parameters are estimated. Economic 
analyses are performed on each operation, using DCFROR 
techniques to estimate the constant-dollar long-run price at 
which elemental sulfur and pyrite concentrate would need 
to be sold so that revenues are sufficient to cover all costs of 
production, including a prespecified rate of return on invest- 
ment. For this analysis, a 15-pct DCFROR was considered 
necessary to cover the cost of capital plus risk. The 
DCFROR is most commonly defined as the rate of return 
that makes the present worth of cash flow from investments 
equal to the present worth of all after-tax investments (8). 

The SAM system contains a separate tax-records file for 
each nation and State. Relevant taxes under which a mining 
firm would operate include corporate income taxes, proper- 
ty taxes, and any royalties, severance taxes, or other taxes 
that pertain to mining and processing of elemental sulfur 
and pyrite concentrate. These taxes are applied to each 
property with the assumption that each operation 
represents a separate corporate entity. 



AVAILABILITY CURVES 

Upon completion of the DCFROR analysis, all evaluated 
properties are simultaneously analyzed and aggregated into 
a total availability curve. This availability curve is the total 
amount of elemental sulfur and/or pyrite concentrate poten- 
tially available from the evaluated operations. Two total 
availability curves were generated: one for the elemental 
sulfur properties and one for the pyrite concentrate proper- 
ties. 

Elemental sulfur and pyrite concentrate availability are 
presented in these curves as a function of the average total 
cost of production associated with each operation, ordered 
from properties having the lowest average total cost of pro- 
duction to those having the highest. The potential availabili- 
ty of each commodity is determined by comparing these 
values with a long-run constant-dollar market price. The 
total recoverable tonnage potentially available at or below 
this price-cost value is read directly from the availability 
curves. 

Annual availability curves can also be constructed. These 
curves represent the total availability of elemental sulfur 
and/or pyrite concentrate in any given year, based on the 
development and production schedules proposed for each 
operation. 



GEOLOGY 



Sulfur is widely distributed in nature. It is found in a wide 
variety of rocks and environments in its elemental form, as 
combined sulfide and sulfate minerals, and as organic com- 
pounds in fossil fuels. It is the 13th most abundant element 
and constitutes 0.6 pet of the earth's crust. Sulfur- 
containing deposits can be divided into six types: elemental 
or native, petroleum and tar sands, sour natural gas, coal 
and oil shale, metal sulfide (pyrite), and sulfate (gypsum) 



deposits. Elemental or native sulfur deposits, metal sulfide 
(pyrite) deposits, and sour natural gas are the most impor- 
tant and supply most of the world's sulfur. Only native 
sulfur and pyrite deposits are discussed in the following sec- 
tions, since they are the only deposit types covered in this 
report. Figure 4 shows the location of the elemental sulfur 
and pyrite concentrate operations {1, pp. 882-883: 9, pp. 
607, 613-617). 




United StQt'-b 
/ Phillips Ronch 
2 Culberson 

Fort Stockton 

Comanche CreeK 

Boling Dome 

Long Point 

CoiMou Island 

Commodo 

Grond Isle 

Gordefi Island Bay 



Me 



// Jaltipan 

12 Temsteper 

13 Lotirhupo 



Mothiotis 
Shu 



IX. 



14 Mishroq 
Turhpy 



15 Keciborlu 

16 Asihoy 

17 Kambio 



H^ Compiono 
Zl Nicrioletu 
22 Fenice Caponne 
Spoin 



P'.rtugo 

26 Aljustrel 

27 Lousal 
Sweden 

28 Longsele-Udden 

29 Knstineberg 

NorviOy 



JJ Honooko 

54 Kosoka 

35 Shokanai 

36 Toyohj 



^^ Lq Zorza-Colonas 
24 Tharsis 
i") Helenas 



30 Sulitjelmo 

31 Grong Gruber 
Jopon 



LEGEND 
^ E'emental sulfur operations 
• Pyite concentrate operotrons 



32 Yonohora 



FIGURE 4.— Location of elemental sulfur and pyrite concentrate operations. 



NATIVE SULFUR DEPOSITS 

Elemental sulfur deposits are associated with anhydrite 
caprock overlying salt diapirs and bedded anhydrite 
evaporite formations. Bacterial attack on anhydrite pro- 
duces lenses of limestone impregnated with elemental sulfur 
{9). Examples of these types of salt diapir deposits occur on 
the gulf coasts of Louisiana and Texas in the United States, 
and of Vera Cruz, Mexico {10). Bedded evaporite deposits of 
exploitable native sulfur occur both in west Texas, and in 
the Mogul region of northern Iraq. The west Texas deposits 
are associated with lenses or chimneys of anhydrite collapse 
breccia. The Iraqi deposit is associated with a dome-shaped 
anticline structure (11-12). The only native sulfur deposit of 
volcanic origin evaluated in this report is the Keciborlu 
sulfur operation in western Turkey. Sulfur mineralization 
occurs in a soft, highly altered, and decomposed rhyolite 
dike as veinlets and irregular nodules, and was formed as a 
sublimate from sulfur-rich volcanic gases (IS). 



PYRITE DEPOSITS 

Ferrous and nonferrous metal sulfide deposits are also 
sources of sulfur. Ferrous metal sulfide deposits are the 
most important; they are generally massive high-grade ore 
bodies containing pyrite averaging about 40 pet S. These 
deposits are primarily exploited for their sulfur content in 



the form of pyrite concentrates, which can be converted to 
H2SO4. These deposits may also contain small amounts of 
copper, lead, zinc, gold, and silver that can be recovered as 
byproducts. Such deposits occur widely throughout the 
world. 

Examples are found in the Iberian Pyrite Belt of southern 
Portugal and southwestern Spain. Stratiform polymetallic 
pyritic ore bodies occur within a suite of felsic and mafic 
volcanic rocks and siliceous sediments. Three types of 
sulfide mineralization are recognized. The first two types 
are massive and disseminated pyritic ores ranging from less 
than 35 to 51 pet S; both are syngenetic-sedimentary in 
origin. The third type is epigenetic stockwork pyritic ore of 
about 5 to 25 pet S {U, p. 63, 65; 15, p. 32). 

The ferrous metal sulfide deposits of Cyprus occur as 
both massive and disseminated pyritic ore bodies associated 
with pillow lavas, which fringe the Troodos Massif. Ore 
bodies that occur as disseminations in the pillow lava 
average about 20 pet S. Massive ore bodies, where replace- 
ment of the pillow lava is more complete, range from 40 to 
48 pet S. Shapes and sizes of individual ore bodies vary from 
irregular to near horizontal-lenticular and range from 200 m 
wide and 600 m long to 15 m wide and 100 m long (16, pp. 
38-39). 

Italy's three pyrite operations are associated with 
hydrothermal deposition along faulted contacts between 
phylhtic schists and cavernous limestones of the Tuscany 
series. Both massive and disseminated vein pyrite ore 



bodies are present. The sulfur grade of the pyrite for the 
three operations ranges from about 8 to 41 pet S. 

Another system of sulfide ore bodies is the Kuroko type 
deposits of the Akita Prefecture in northeastern Japan. 
These ore bodies are stratabound polymetallic sulfide- 
sulfate deposits that occur in acidic volcanic rocks. The 
deposits are closely related to submarine volcanic eruptions 
of dacite or rhyolite rock types and are important sources of 
copper, lead, zinc, gold, and silver; but they are considered 
here because of the large amount of pyrite contained in the 
ore. Four ore zones have been recognized: a barite- 
spharlerite-galena zone (Kuroko ore ) consisting mostly of 
chalcopyrite, pyrite and tetrahedrite; a barite, pyrite, and 
chalcopyrite zone (Han-Kuroko ore); a zone of almost all 
pyrite and chalcopyrite (Ohko ore); and a zone of pyrite, 
chalcopyrite, and quartz (Keikoh ore). Kuroko type deposits 
can show very irregular shapes and variable sizes. Average 
pyrite-sulfure grade can range from 19 pet (Keikoh ore) to 
47 pet (Ohko ore). Kuroko deposits are consideed to be of 
submarine hydrothermal sedimentary origin {17, p. 171; 18, 
p. 137). 

The Yanahara Mine in southwestern Japan in the 
Okayama Prefecture is a massive ore body of almost pure 
pyrite with some intrusions of rhyolite. Pyrrhotite and 
magnetite are found near the margins. The average sulfur 
grade of the pyrite is 46 pet. 

The two Norwegian pyrite deposits are related to the 
Koli Nappe sequences of the central Norwegian 
Caledonides. The Joma deposit of the Grong Gruber opera- 
tion is imbedded in a sequence of basaltic greenstones. This 
deposit consists of (1) a massive pyritic layer interbedded 



with meta-limestone and chlorite schist lenses, and (2) 
layers of massive chalcopyrite-pyrrhotite. The average 
grade of the pyrite is 32 pet S for this deposit. The Sulit- 
jelma deposits lie at the base of the Sulitjelma Amphibolites 
and contain massive pyrite, disseminated pyrite, and 
chalcopyrite-pyrrhotite ore averaging approximately 14 pet 
S {19, p. 745; 20, p. 311). 

Sweden's principal pyrite mines, the Kristineberg, and 
Langsele-Udden operations, are located in northeast 
Sweden in the south-central part of the Skellefte field. 
These ore bodies occur in the contact zone between a 
volcanic and a phyllite series. A few occur several meters 
below the contact. Ore bodies range in size from a few hun- 
dred metric tons to several million metric tons. They are 
generally elongated lenses and slab-shaped bodies of 
massive pyrite with varying amounts of chalcopyrite, 
sphalerite, galena, pyrrhotite, and arsenopyrite. Minor 
amounts of antimony and bismuth as well as gold and silver 
may also occur. Sulfur content of the pyrite ore ranges from 
about 12 to 36 pet {21). 

The Asikoy Mine is located in northern Turkey. The 
associated ore body occurs in a lens of mafic volcanic rock 
isolated within a younger graywacke-argillite sedimentary 
sequence. Pyrite is dominant with variable amounts of 
chalcopyrite and some bornite concentrated in the upper 
part of the ore body. Two types of ore exist and are 
somewhat gradational. The disseminated sulfide ore is prin- 
cipally pyrite (35 pet S) disseminated in a pillow lava breccia. 
The massive sulfide ore also consists of pyrite (42 pet S) with 
some copper sulfide mineralizations. 



SULFUR RESOURCES 



Resources in this report are categorized according to 
the mineral resource-reserve classification system 
developed jointly by the U.S. Bureau of Mines and the U.S. 
Geological Survey (USGS) {22). (See figure 5.) Table 5 lists 
estimated world sulfur resources by type and level. World 
sulfur resources are considerable. Estimates vary widely 
owing to the different deposit types and the lack of data for 
many of these deposits. 

The Bureau has established a reserve base for sulfur. 
This reserve base includes demonstrated resources 
(measured plus indicated) that are currently economic, or 
marginally economic (marginal reserves) and some that are 
subeconomic (subeconomic resources). Figure 6 compares 
Bureau and USGS resource estimates with the resource 
estimates analyzed in this report. The demonstrated 
resource evaluated in this report total approximately 675 
Mmt (253 Mmt S and 422 Mmt pyrite ore). This tonnage 
comprises about 2 pet of the USGS total of 32 billion mt and 
about 25 pet of the Bureau's reserve base estimate of 2.7 
billion mt {3, p. 785). 

Table 6 compares the demonstrated resources of this 
report with the Bureau's reserve base estimates. Direct 
comparison of the demonstrated resources of this report 
with the Bureau's reserve base is difficult owing to the lack 
of a breakdown of the reserve base by deposit type. 



TABLE 5.— Estimated world sulfur resources, by deposit type 

(Million metric tons) 

n^.^^., 1^^.,* Hypotlietlcal 
Deposit type ^ -o- '^en^' 

speculative 

Natural gas and petroleum:' 

United States NA 285 1,204 

Remaining world' NA 1,037 2,107 

Elemental sulfur: 

United States 67 234 254 

Remaining world' 186 386 203 

Metal sulfides: 
Pyrites: 

United States NA 102 20 

Remaining world 294 534 534 

Base metals: 

United States NA 102 305 

Remaining world 128 290 168 

Other:' 

United States NA 29,059 104,044 

Remaining world NA NA NA 

Total 675 32,029 108,749 

NA Not available. 

' Data from the 36 MEC properties evaluated in this report. 

' Includes demonstrated. 

' Includes tar sands. 

' Includes native sulfur in volcanic deposits. 

'Includes other MEC's and CPEC's for the identified, hypothetical, 
and speculative resources. 

' Estimate is large; Includes organic sulfur compounds and pyrite in 
coal and oil shale, and sulfate (gypsum) desposits. 

Source: Bedenlos (9, pp. 613-617). 



10 



Cumulative 
production 



IDENTIFIED RESOURCES 



Demonstrated 



Measured indicated 



Inferred 



UNDISCOVERED RESOURCES 



Hypothetical 



Probability range 
(or) 



Speculative 



ECONOMIC 



MARGINALLY 
ECONOMIC 



SUB- 
ECONOMIC 



Reserve 



base 



Inferred 



reserve 



base 



+ 



+ 



Other 
occurrences 



Includes nonconventional and low-grade materials 



FIGURE 5.— Mineral resource classification categories {22). 



Demonstrated 
resources, 2.1 pot 



Identified (USQS). 
89.5 pet 





n Reserve base 
(Bureau of Mines), 
8.4 pet 



FIGURE 6.— Comparison of world sulfur resources esti- 
mates (total 32,029 Mmt). 



TABLE 6.— Estimated resources of elemental sulfur and 
pyrlte concentrate 

{Million metric tons) 

Demonstrated resources* 
Country' Reserve 

In situ Recover- Recov- base' 
able' ered* 

ELEMENTAL SULFUR 

Iraq 135.1 W W 200 

Mexico 50.1 37.5 37.2 100 

Turkey 1.4 W W NA 

United States 66.5 66.5 66.4 175 

Total 253.1 200.0 184.5 475 

PYRITE CONCENTRATE 

Cyprus W W W NA 

Italy 36.9 35.4 29.1 15 

Japan 75.6 78.2 29.7 10 

Norway 25.4 26.8 11.0 NA 

Portugal 139.3 97.4 97.4 NA 

Spain 115.1 98.4 98.4 30 

Sweden W W W NA 

Turkey W W W NA 

Total 421.6 363.4 278.9 55 

NA Not available. 

W Withheld to avoid disclosing company proprietary data; included in 
total. 

' Data from other countries are not available. 

' Estimated as of January 1984, as analyzed in this report. 

' Pyrite concentrate estimate includes mine dilution; Japan and Nor- 
way have the highest dilution, averaging 20 and 39 pet, respectively. 

* Some loss may occur during processing. 

' Bureau of Mines estimate; total world reserve base for combined 
sulfur in all forms is estimated at about 2.7 billion mt (3, p. 785). 



11 



EXTRACTION AND PROCESSING TECHNOLOGY 



Frasch mining and processing technology, developed by 
Herman Frasch in 1894 {23, p. 40), involves injecting large 
amounts of superheated water (163° C) dovi'n wells drilled 
through the sulfur deposit. Heat from the water is transferred 
to the formation, thus melting the sulfur, which, being heavier 
than water, accumulates in a pool at the bottom of each well. 
Compressed air is injected down each well to raise the molten 
sulfur to the surface. Figure 7 is a cross section through a 
typical Frasch sulfur production well. Once on the surface, 
liquid sulfur (97 to 99.8 pet S) may require only filtration, 
generally through a mixture of H2SO4 and diatomaceous earth 
to remove organic impurities; it is then pumped to surface 
storage facilities. Injected water migrates through the forma- 
tion and is extracted through bleeder water wells located along 
the flanks of the structure away from the mining area. In some 
mining areas (e.g., Iraq and Poland) where the formation is not 
porous enough to promote sulfur and water migration, the rock 
is fractured by blasting the formation near the bottom of the 
well. 

The Frasch process is used exclusively on salt diapir forma- 
tions along the Gulf of Mexico off Louisiana and Texas in the 
United States and the State of Vera Cruz, Mexico, and on 
bedded evaporite formations in west Texas, the Mogul region 
of northern Iraq, southern Poland, and the U.S.S.R. 

Elemental sulfur deposits not amenable to the Frasch proc- 
ess use open pit and underground methods. High- to medium- 
grade ore from these deposits can be roasted directly, with the 
resulting SO2 gas converted to H2SO4. Low-grade ores are 
treated by a wide variety of processes, including direct melting, 
distillation, agglomeration, solvent extraction, and flotation to 
produce elemental sulfur. Sulfur ores of the Keciborlu sulfur 
operation near Isparta in western Turkey are mined by open 
pit and horizontal cut-and-fill methods. Both direct melting and 
flotation beneficiation processes are used to produce an 
elemental sulfur product. 

Open pit and underground mining methods are also used 
on pyrite deposits. High-grade ore (45 pet S and above), after 
minor beneficiation consisting of crushing, grinding, screening, 
and washing, is roasted followed by direct conversion of the 
SO2 gas to H2SO4. Examples of these types of operations can 
be found in Cyprus and along the Iberian Pyrite Belt of 
Portugal and Spain. 

Lower grade pyrite ores are generally upgraded with flota- 
tion methods from which a pyrite concentrate can be 
recovered. This concentrate is then roasted, producing SO2 
that is converted to H2SO4. Examples of these types of opera- 
tions are the operations in Sweden and Norway and those in 
the Kuroko type deposits of Japan. 




\iMM^ 



y\ 



\y\\y\\y 




FIGURE 7.— Section through a typical Frasch sulfur produc- 
tion well. 



CAPITAL AND OPERATING COSTS 



Capital investments and operating costs were estimated 
for each property. These costs vary greatly depending on 



such factors as size of operation, mining and processing 
method, deposit location, and geology. 



12 



CAPITAL COSTS 

Most of the 36 properties evaluated in this report have 
been in operation for a considerable length of time; i.e., 
longer than 10 yr. Therefore, some of their initial capital in- 
vestment is assiuned to have been depreciated. Costs 
presented in table 7 reflect the remaining undepreciated 
portion of the original capital investment and investments 
required for the replacement of capital to enable the opera- 
tion to continue, or for construction of additional facilities or 
expansion of existing facilities to enable the operation to in- 
crease its production capacity. In some cases, costs reflect 
the investment needed to reactivate past-producing opera- 
tions. These properties are not specifically identified, as 
confidentiality of data could be compromised. 



OPERATING COSTS 

Operating costs include labor, materials and supplies, 
energy, overhead, taxes, royalties, and insurance. 
Transportation costs cover the cost of storage, handling, 
and shipping elemental sulfur or pyrite concentrates. Ship- 
ment is generally to the nearest sidfuric acid plant, roaster 
or smelter, or market terminal. Operating costs do not in- 
clude the conversion of elemental sulfur or pyrite concen- 
trates to H2SO4. 



Elemental Sulfur 

Weighted-average operating costs for the 15 elemental 
sulfur operations are summarized in table 8. All but one 
property (Keciborlu, Turkey, a combined surface- 
underground operation) use the Frasch process to recover 
elemental sulfur. Four use filtration, the only beneficiation 
method generally required for Frasch elemental sulfur. The 
deposits in Iraq and Turkey, which have the lowest and 
highest operating costs, respectively, are included together 
in table 8 to avoid disclosing company proprietary data. 

The 15 properties have an average operating cost of 
$50.82/mt of recoverable sulfur, with mining costs averag- 
ing 73 pet of total costs, transportation costs 21 pet, and 
milling (filtration) costs only 6 pet. After Iraq, Mexico has 
the lowest costs, despite high filtration costs at two of its 
three Frasch operations. Mexico's low overall operating 
costs ($49.40/mt) result from lower energy and labor costs. 
The Mexican Frasch operations are able to generate their 
own electricity from waste boiler heat and/or by recycling 
well bleed water, which requires less treatment and 
reheating, thus lowering energy costs. 



TABLE 7.— Estimated average capital cost investments for 
elemental sulfur and pyrite concentrate operations 

(January 1984 U.S. dollars, per metric ton sulfur) 

Remaining Estimated 
country Commodity und^eprec ^^^.^^^ 

recovered^. 2 capital replacement 
costs' costs* 

Cyprus Pyr $5.99 $8.35 

Italy Pyr 6.73 12.44 

Iraq S W W 

Japan Pyr .92 5.65 

Mexico S 3.88 .88 

Norway Pyr 9.13 25.73 

Portugal Pyr 2.58 3.11 

Spain Pyr .45 3.47 

Sweden Pyr 5.67 1.90 

Turkey Pyr, S WW 

United States S ^9 .44 

W Withheld to avoid disclosing company proprietary data. 

' Costs for the commodity pyrite (Pyr) are in terms of contained sulfur 
in the recovered pyrite concentrate. 

' Costs for the commodity sulfur (S) are in terms of recovered 
elemental sulfur. 

' Capital costs for mine and mill, development, plant and equipment, 
and Infrastructure, remaining as of January 1, 1984. 

* Estimated capital reinvestment for mine and mill development, plant 
and equipment, and infrastructure to be recovered over the life of the 
property. 

In contrast, U.S. producing and nonproducing proper- 
ties have costs nearly twice those in Mexico, despite far 
lower milling (filtration) costs -none for the five producers. 
Transportation costs account for 31 pet of the total for the 
producers but only 15 pet for the five nonprodueers. The 
much higher U.S. costs for transportation result from the 
necessity to use rail transport, at about $30/mt S; however, 
some operations use cheaper ocean barge and pipeline 
transport, at just $0.77/mt S. Mexico's properties use river 
barge transport at about $3.50/mt S, while Iraq and Turkey 
use truck and rail. 



Pyrite Concentrate 

Weighted-average operating costs for the 21 pyrite 
operations are summarized in table 9. Both surface and 
underground mining methods are used; beneficiation 
methods consist of flotation or sizing. As expected, surface 
mining and sizing result in lower costs than underground 
mining and flotation. 

The 21 properties have an average operating cost of 
$53.89/mt of contained sulfur in the pyrite concentrate. The 
two Portuguese and three Spanish properties have the 
lowest operating costs; all five use sizing beneficiation, but 
four of the five are underground operations. These lower 



TABLE 8.— Summary of estimated operating costs, elemental sulfur operations 

(U.S. dollars per metric ton recovered sulfur) 

Annual Operating costs 

Number capacity 

Country of range. Mine Mill Transportation 

operations 10' mt 

Iraq and Turl<ey 

Mexico 

United States 

Producers 

Temporarily closed' 

Weighted average: 
U.S. properties 

All properties 15 NAp 37.12 2^81 10.89 

NAp Not applicable. W Withheld to avoid disclosing company proprietary data. 
' Includes Caillou Island mine, which closed In May 1984. 



Total 



2 
3 


W 
331-987 


$15.72 
39.41 


$3.08 
6.52 


$4.48 
3.47 


$23.28 
49.40 


5 
5 


82-2,200 
85-960 


55.15 
84.78 




1.73 


25.01 
15.44 


80.16 
101.95 


10 


NAp 


61.87 


.39 


22.84 


85.10 



50.82 



13 



TABLE 9.— Summary of estimated operating costs, pyrite concentrate operations 

(U.S. dollars per metric ton contained sulfur) 

Annual Oper ating costs 

Number capacity 

Country of range, feline Mill Transportation 

operations 10^ mt 

Cyprus and Turkey 4 7-270 $39.35 $94.29 $9.95 

Italy 3 16-360 46.69 13.08 5.01 

Japan 5 14-160 107.19 51.09 47.68 

Norway 2 W 38.52 20.81 14.28 

Portugal 2 W 13.58 3.01 3.99 

Spain 3 50-425 12.54 2.45 3.93 

Sweden 2 W 82.05 45.53 26.32 

Weighted average, 
all properties 21 NAp 30.03 13.74 10.12 

Processing method: 

Mining:' 

Surface 4 7-425 13.27 2.92 3.70 

Underground 16 14-615 34.88 13.57 12.07 

Beneficiation: 

Flotation 13 7-270 93.50 58.97 36.86 

Sizing 8 43-615 16.08 3^0 4.24 

NAp Not applicable. W Withheld to avoid disclosing company proprietary data. 

' Does not Include 1 operation that uses a combined surface-underground mining method. 



Total 



$143.59 
64.78 

205.96 
73.56 
20.58 
18.92 

153.90 



53.89 



19.89 
60.52 

189.33 
24.12 



underground mining costs result from higher mining 
capacities and ore feed grades. In contrast, the five 
Japanese and two Swedish underground operations, all of 
which use flotation to recover a pyrite concentrate, have the 
highest operating costs. Each of these mines also recovers 
various coproduct concentrates. 

The two Norwegian operations are underground mines 
using flotation, and one of the three Italian underground 
operations also uses flotation; these three mines also 



recover coproduct concentrates. The other two Italian 
mines use sizing beneficiation. 

Costs for Cyprus and Turkey (combined to avoid disclos- 
ing company proprietary information) are somewhat 
misleading, because they include the high cost of a combined 
surface and underground mining method at the Turkish 
operation. The three Cyprus operations are low-capacity 
surface mines with average operating costs roughly half 
that of the Turkish mine. All four use flotation beneficiation, 
though no coproducts are recovered. 



ELEMENTAL SULFUR AND PYRITE CONCENTRATE AVAILABILITY 



Using a 15-pct-DCFROR analysis, the estimated 
constant-dollar long-run average total cost of production for 
each operation in January 1984 dollars was determined for 
both elemental sulfur and pyrite concentrate. Their 
availability is presented in curves and tables as a function of 
the average total cost of production associated with each 
operation. 

ELEMENTAL SULFUR AVAILABILITY 

Figure 8 illustrates the potential total availability of 
elemental sulfur. The 15 elemental sulfur properties 
evaluated in this report have an estimated in situ 
demonstrated resource of 253 Mmt. From this resource, a 
potential of 185 Mmt S is available, approximately 99 pet 
(182 Mmt) at an average total cost of production of $131/mt 
(the January 1984 market price). At 1984 world production 
rates of Frasch and native elemental sulfur, the total 
resources available could supply elemental sulfur for about 
13 yr. However, this life could be extended with the 
discovery of new deposits or if identified resources are 
reclassified to the demonstrated level. 

Table 10 compares estimated total elemental sulfur 
availability by country from producers and from temporari- 
ly closed U.S. operations. Eight producers have nearly 169 
Mmt S available at an average cost below $104/mt S. An ad- 
ditional 13 Mmt, from four temporarily closed operations, is 
potentially available at less than $131/mt S, and the remain- 
ing 3 Mmt, from two temporarily closed and one govern- 
ment owned and operated producing mine, is available at 
costs ranging from $156/mt to $225/mt S. 




80 100 120 140 

T0T4L RECOVERABLE SULFUR, Mmt 



FIGURE 8.— Totai avaiiabiilty of elemental sulfur. 



TABLE 10.- 


-Estimated total elemental sulfur availability 

(Thousand metric tons) 


Elemental 

sulfur, 
by source 


Average total cos 


t of production 


$45.00- 
$90.00 


$90.01- 
$131.00 


$131.01- 

$225.00 Total 


United States: 

Peoducers . . 

Temporarily 
closed .... 
Mexico 

producers . . . 
Iraq and Turkey 

producers . . . 


34,844 



. . . . 37,188 

. ... 80,417 


16,486 

12,850 






82 51,412 

2,214 15,064 

37,188 

427 80,844 


Total 


. . . . 152,449 


29,336 


2,723 184,508 



14 



Approximately 97 pet (64.2 Mmt) of the 66.5 Mmt S 
available from the 10 U.S. Frasch operations can be pro- 
duced for less than $131/mt S on the average; this includes 
51.3 Mmt from four producers and 12.9 Mmt from four tem- 
porarily closed operations. The remaining 2.3 Mmt, 
available at costs exceeding $156/mt S, is from one produc- 
ing and one temporarily closed operation. Taken together, 
the five producers can supply 5.2 Mmt/yr S, 98 pet of which 
is available at less than $131. mt; the five temporarily closed 
properties could supply 1.7 Mmt/yr S, 95 pet of which for 
less than $131/mt. 

Approximately 37.2 Mmt S is available from Mexico's 
three producing Frasch operations, from an estimated in 
situ demonstrated resource of 50.1 Mmt S, at less than 
$90/mt S average operating costs. These operations could 
supply 2.1 Mmt/yr S for the next 14 yr, but by the early 
2000's these estimated resources will have been depleted. 
Most of Mexico's production is exported to the United 
States and other world markets. 

Turkish and Iraqi operations are government owned 
and operated. Together, an estimated 81 Mmt S is potential- 
ly available from these two properties; however, annual 
availability from both countries is low, owing to low produc- 
tion rate estimates. Most of the production is exported to 
European and Mediterranean sulfur markets. 

Total potential annual availability of producing elemen- 
tal sulfur operations is shown in figure 9. Production 
averaging 4.8 Mmt/yr S is possible from the 10 producers 
evaluated, over 99 pet for less than $131/mt. At 1984 pro- 
duction, most producers will have depleted their estimated 
1984 recoverable demonstrated resources by the end of the 
century; but three remaining producers, with less than 1.6 
Mmt/yr S still available, could produce for less than the 1984 
market price ($131/mt). 



2,2SOr 



9 




1 


1 


I 


1 


1 


' 




S 


- 


\ 












- 


7 


- 


\ 












- 


S 


- 


\ 












- 


Z 5 






"s 


in 


- 










s 




- 


3 


- 










\ 




- 


2 


- 


1 




1 


1 


\_ 




\ - 


1 
n 


1 


\ 

1 


% 


64 


1967 


1990 


1993 


I99« 


1999 


2002 


20C 



T 1 1 

N Year preproduction 
development begins 




FIGURE 10.— Total annual elemental sulfur availability from 
temporarily closed operations (below $225/mt S). 



PYRITE CONCENTRATE AVAILABILITY 

The 21 metal sulfide (pyrite) properties have in situ 
demonstrated resources of nearly 422 Mmt pyrite, which 
could supply about 279 Mmt pyrite concentrate at 46 pet S 
(fig. 11). Table 11 lists the estimated availability of pyrite 
concentrate at various average total costs of production. 

Of the 279 Mmt pyrite concentrate recoverable, approx- 
iniately 92 pet (257 Mmt) can be produced at average costs 
lower than $43/mt pyrite concentrate (the January 1984 
market price). At the 1984 rate of production, these 
resources could supply pyrite concentrate for 29 yr. 




aO 120 l«0 200 

TOTAL RECOVERABLE PYWITE, Mint 



FIGURE 9.— Total annual elemental sulfur availability from 
producing operations (below $22S/mt S). 



FIGURE 11.— Total availability of pyrite concentrate. 



Because startup dates for the five temporarily closed 
U.S. operations are not known, their potential annual 
availability (fig. 10) was based on assumption that reactiva- 
tion would begin in the year N. These properties together 
have 695,000 mt/yr S potentially available, 88 pet of which 
at production costs averaging less than $131/mt. Most of 
these properties will have depleted their estimated 1984 
recoverable demonstrated resource by the year N-t- 12. 



TABLE 11.— Estimated total pyrite concentrate availability 

(Thousand metric tons) 





Average total cost of production 


Pyrite concentrate 


Oto 
$43.00 


$43.01- Above 
$90.00 $90.00 


Total 


Primary 

Coproduct 


232,264 
24,132 


868 
8,127 13,469 


233,132 
45,728 


Total 


256,396 


8,995 13,469 


278,860 



15 



Pyrite concentrate producers that produce no other 
metal concentrates account for 233 Mmt of the total 
availability, about 99 pet of which is available for less than 
$43/mt. Coproduct pyrite concentrate, which is defined as 
any pyrite concentrate recovered for its sulfur content 
along with other metal concentrates, accounts for the re- 
maining 46 Mmt. More than half of this (24 Mmt) is available 
for less than $43/mt, and about 845,000 mt of this is 
available at an average cost of production of zero, because 
revenues from other recovered products are able to cover 
the cost of pyrite concentrate production. 

Table 12 compares potential pyrite concentrate 
availability by country over a range of production costs. 
Spain and Portugal, with potential availability of nearly 98 
Mmt concentrate each (together, nearly 70 pet of total 
availability for MEC's), all at less than $30/mt, could 
dominate the pyrite concentrate industry well into the next 
century. However, at their 1984 annual production 
capacities, these two countries account for only 13 pet of 
estimated world production of pyrite concentrate. 

Italy accounts for another 10 pet of MEC potential pro- 
duction from the evaluated properties. Of the 29 Mmt poten- 
tially available, 98 pet can by produced for less than $43/mt 
concentrate; the other 2.0 pet is coproduct pyrite concen- 
trate, for which all production costs are covered by other 
commodities. 

Japan, with 29.6 Mmt potentially available, accounts for 
11 pet of total pyrite concentrate availability. About 55 pet 
of this (16.2 Mmt) is available for less than $30/mt; nearly 
8.2 Mmt is a coproduct with other commodities. The balance 
of Japan's potential production, 13.5 Mmt, is coproduct 
pyrite available for more than $90/mt concentrate. 

Figure 12 illustrates estimated potential annual 
availability of pyrite concentrate over various years. 
Average production level throughout the analyses is 5.2 
Mmt/yr pyrite concentrate, peaking at 5.9 Mmt in 1990. 
Overall, 85 pet of this concentrate is available for less than 
$43/mt concentrate on the average. Primary pyrite concen- 
trate accounts for about 3.7 Mmt/yr, with 93 pet available 
for less than $43/mt; coproduct production accounts for the 
other 1.5 Mmt/yr. with approximately 50 pet potentially 
available for less than $43/mt. 



TABLE 12.— Comparison of total potential pyrite 
concentrate availability, by country 

(Thousand metric tons) 

Average total cost of production 

Country to $43.01- Above 
$43.00 $90.00 $90.00 Total 

Spain 98,352 98,352 

Portugal 97,385 97,385 

Japan 16,200 13,469 29,669 

Italy 29,116 29,116 

Norway and Sweden 15,343 15,343 

Cyprus and Turkey . . 8,995 8,995 

Total 256,396 8,995 13,469 278,860 




FIGURE 12.— Annual availability of total, primary, and 
coproduct pyrite concentrate (below $225/mt). 



102S7 4.12 



16 



CONCLUSION 



Thirty-six properties (10 domestic and 26 foreign) were 
evaluated to determine the total potentially available ton- 
nage of elemental sulfur and pyrite concentrate. 

Availability analyses of the 36 properties indicate that 
253 Mmt of elemental sulfur resources from 15 native sulfur 
deposits could be depleted faster than the 422 Mmt of pyrite 
resources from 21 sulfide deposits. Estimated total 
recoverable elemental sulfur is 185 Mmt. Approximately 
182 Mmt S (98 pet) is available below an average total cost 
of production equal to the January 1984 market price 
($131/mt). Eight current producers (as of January 1, 1984) 
account for 169 Mmt S available at about $104/mt. An addi- 
tional 13 Mmt S would be available from four temporarily 
closed operations at an average total cost of production of 
less than $131/mt. Two producers, one government owned 
and operated, and one other temporarily closed operation 
account for the remaining 3 Mmt available from $156/mt to 
$225/mt. At 1984 rates of production these availability ton- 
nages would be depleted within 14 yr. However, this life 
could be entended with the discovery of new deposits or 
reclassifying identified resources to the demonstrated level. 

Total estimated recoverable pyrite concentrate 
available is 279 Mmt at 46 pet S; all 21 properties are pro- 
ducers. Approximately 92 pet (257 Mmt) of this pyrite con- 
centrate is available below an average total cost of produc- 
tion equal to the January 1984 pyrite concentrate market 
price ($43/mt). Primary pyrite concentrate producers ac- 
count for 233 Mmt, and coproduct pyrite concentrate pro- 
ducers 24 Mmt. An additional 22 Mmt (mostly as coproduct 
pyrite concentrate) is available at average total costs of pro- 



duction ranging at $52/mt to $223/mt. At 1984 production 
rates these availability tonnages could last about 29 yr. 

The United States and Mexico should continue to 
dominate the North American native sulfur (Frasch) in- 
dustry over the next decade. Potential average annual 
availability over this period is about 4.8 Mmt from produc- 
ing operations. All of this sulfur is available at about 
$104/mt S. However, this estimated annual tonnage meets 
only 14 pet of the 1984 world's total elemental sulfur produc- 
tion level. The remainder could be made up by the produc- 
tion of secondary sulfur sources; i.e., recovered elemental 
sulfur could increase its share of the market if production 
from high-sulfur crude oils and sour natural gas from Mex- 
ico, the Near East, Alaska, California, Utah, and Wyoming 
becomes available. 

Italy, Japan, Portugal, and Spain will dominate the 
pyrite concentrate industry into the next century, with ap- 
proximately 255 Mmt of total pyrite concentrate available. 
Most of this tonnage is primary pyrite concentrate, 
available at less than $43/mt. The estimated annual pyrite 
concentrate tonnage from these countries account for about 
47 pet of the world's 1984 estimated pyrite concentrate pro- 
duction. 

These operations must supply pyrite concentrate at a 
market price that is cost competitive with H2SO4 production 
from elemental sulfur. Substantial increases in pyrite con- 
centrate output other than to meet internal or local H2SO4 
demand is unlikely, owing to the supply of sulfur from its 
many sources. 



REFERENCES 



1. Shelton, J. E. Sulfur. Ch. in Mineral Facts and Problems, 1980 
Edition. BuMines B 671, 1981. pp. 877-898. 

2. Morse, D. E. Sulfur. Ch. in BuMines Minerals Yearbook 1984, 
V. 1, pp. 831-849. 

3. . Sulfur. Ch. in Mineral Facts and Problems, 1985 

Edition. BuMines B 675, pp. 783-797. 

4. Engineering and Mining Journal. V. 185, No. 1, Jan. 1984, p. 
94. 

5. Babitzke, H. R., A. F. Barsotti, J. S. Coffman, J. G. Thompson, 
and H. J. Bennett. The Bureau of Mines Minerals Availability 
System: An Update of Information Circular 8654. BuMines IC 
8887, 1982, 54 pp. 

6. Davidoff, R. L. Supply Analysis Model (SAM): A Minerals 
Availability System Methodology. BuMines IC 8820, 1980, 45 pp. 

7. Clement, G. K., Jr., R. L. Miller, P. A. Seibert, L. Avery, and 
H. Bennett. Capital and Operating Cost Estimating System 
Manual for Mining and Beneficiation of Metallic and Nonmetallic 
Minerals Except Fossil Fuels in the United States and Canada. 
BuMines Spec. Publ., 1981, 149 pp.; also available as-STRAAM 
Engineers, Inc. Capital and Operating Cost Estimating System 
Handbook -Mining and Benefication of Metallic and Nonmetallic 
Minerals Except Fossil Fuels in the United States and Canada (con- 
tract J0255026). BuMines OFR 10-78, 1977, 382 pp. 

8. Stermole, F. J. Economic Evaluation and Investment Decision 
Methods. Investment Evaluations Corp., Golden, CO., 2d ed., 1974, 
449 pp. 

9. Bodenlos, A. J. Sulfur. Ch. in United States Mineral 
Resources. U.S. Geol. Surv. Prof. Paper 820, 1973, pp. 605-618. 

10. Hanna, M. A. Geology of the Gulf Coast Salt Domes. Ch. in 
Problems of Petroleum Geology. Am. Assoc. Pet. Geol., Tulsa, OK, 
Sidney Powers Mem. V., 1934, pp. 629-678. 

11. Barker, J. M., D. E. Cochran, and R. Semrad. Economic 
Geology of the Misraq Native Sulfur Deposit, Northern Iraq. Econ. 
Geol., V. 74, 1979, pp. 484-495. 

12. British Sulphur . Iraq. Ch. in World Sulphur Resources. 2d ed. 



1974, pp. 155-157. 

13. Turkey. Ch. in World Sulphur Resources. 2d 

ed., 1974, pp. 52-56. 

14. Strauss, G. K., J. Madel and F. F. Alosno. Exploration Prac- 
tice for Strata-bound Volcanogenic Sulphide Deposits in the 
Spanish-Portuguese Pyrite Belt: Geology, Geophysics, and 
Geochemistry. Springer-Verlag, 1977, 93 pp. 

15. British Sulphur. Portugal and Spain. Ch. in World Sulphur 
Resources. 2d ed., 1974, p. 32. 

16. Bear, L. M. The Mineral Resources and Mining Industry of 
Cyprus. Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Geol. Surv. Dep., 
Republic of Cyprus, Bull. 1, 1980, 208 pp. 

17. Maruyama, S., and N. Sato. Geology and Exploration of the 
Kurouo Deposits in Japan. Ch. 9 in Mineralogy and Metallurgy of 
Lead, Zinc Deposits. AIME, 1970, v. 1, pp. 171-194. 

18. Sato, T. Physiochemical Environments of Kuroko Mineraliza- 
tion at Uchinota: Deposit of Kosaka Mine, Atita Prefecture. Ch. in 
Geochemistry and Crystallography of Sulphide Minerals in 
Hydrothermal Deposits. Soc. Min. Geol. Jpn., Spec. Issue 2, 1971, 
pp. 137-144. 

19. Olsen, J. Genesis of the Joma Stratiform Sulfide Deposit, 
Central Norwegian Caledonides. Paper in Proceedings of the Fifth 
Quadrennial lAGOD Symposium. E. Schweizerbart'sche 
Verlagsbuchhandlung (Nagele U. Obermiller), Stuttgart, Fed. Rep. 
of Germany, 1980, pp. 745-757. 

20. Wilson, M. R. The Geological Setting of the Sulitjelma Ore 
Bodies, Central Norwegian Caladonides. Econ. Geol., v. 68, 1973, 
pp. 307-316. 

21. British Sulphur. Sweden. Ch. in World Sulphur Resources. 2d 
ed., 1974, pp. 46-52. 

22. U.S. Geological Survey and U.S. Bureau of Mines. Principles 
of a Resource/Reserve Classification for Minerals. U.S. Geol. Surv. 
Circ. 831, 1980, 5 pp. 

23. Haynes, W. Brimstone: The Stone That Bums. Van 
Nostrand, 1959, 308 pp. 










•- \/ 












oSPa "^ <i^^^^^ • iP "7". " i 






^% /-if ^:/\ -«• .*^\.-W »/ ..-.,^. ;i 




» e 














V> ♦ * • o 






a\.... "^^ 








^••\ 1^ ••^- °- /.-^e^-X *'°.-^&>- y.^^-\ '° -^^'A 












• •t ' 




















o H e 



i^s* A 





^^^^ "Ml^'^^ '%^($ " 




.0^ 




o > 



o » 















«*i« 



'^♦.^^'^^ y^i 






















.4 



.-^^^ 















)i.'^-^\/ V^^'/ \-^-^\/ V^^"/ \.*^^\/ V' 




















V''^*/ 'V'^*^?'* %'*^'/ "^-^/^^^Z "o^ 











•-& A^ "i'j?' '^ V 











♦ .■^^''>. "."^XAW A^'-JU -.^ill^," S'^^, 



;* .4^ 







c^^o 














,/%, 



•3 



0^' ,'"*' 




A^^^'V 






!:|;||i^$';i:l 



' ■ ''vl;:i'ii:;:il^;t?l 



swills 



: -^^;:i i^:;;! : i;; ill 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



002 955 949 1 



; r 



,■.;':;•,, /')■'. ;; ;; :,( : l;^,'; 






;,l'::: .::: 



"'■;!!!!;yf.;i:|/i!:;!;ii;;t!i:.;ii;;'!l;:lv ■;';;!;|H 



'M-::K:'mW§^!',M 









-lliiiii 



,;: ■. ;',,»5}iS 







^'^^'S^^^i"^' 



